FTM: intro and a few questions

[jm1982]

Hi everyone! I'm a FTM to a 9 week old boy. I was a semi-reg (or like a lurker+) on the GotP board last year, and over the years I've been more or less of a semi-reg on MM, starting back before the great migration. I tend to read much more than I post, though. Anyway, I'm a grad student, married for almost ten years now. 

Anyway, DS is going to be starting daycare next week. In light of that, DH and I are trying to figure out what we need to purchase, and we're sadly stumped on the diaper question. We need to supply our own diapers and wipes; the director said that people just drop off a large box/bag of them at the start. But DS is sort of between sizes -- I can't figure out which is the most money-friendly purchase. 

DS was 12 pounds at his 2 month appointment last week (8lb 11oz at birth), and is currently wearing Sz 1 diapers. He hasn't had any problems with leakage yet. We've been working through one of those 200+ count boxes at home, with a full sleeve (~70? diapers) not opened yet, plus about 2 days worth from the current sleeve. He's going to be at daycare 3 days per week, 7-8 hours per day.

We can't figure out if we should just split that sleeve between home and daycare (mostly home), then size up to 2 because he's technically in the weight range. Or buy another full box of the sz 1 since he hasn't leaked yet and he still has almost 2 pounds to go in this size. Or buy a smaller box, maybe, except then it's more $$/diaper. WWMMMD?

Second major question right now is in regards to sleep. He's been sleeping nights in the RnP in a Halo swaddle sack with arms out since we brought him home. We've been trying to at least get him to take some naps flat with mostly no luck. In recent days, though, he does do okay (although not great) during the day, if we swaddle in a blanket, arms-in, before putting him in the crib. The problem is that he goes to sleep a bit better, because he's not startling himself, but then he gets really mad because he doesn't have access to his hands, and he'll wake up screaming if he's not just able to break the swaddle. 

Besides the terrifying question of how we'll ever make a real transition from RnP to crib, we're stumped about how to handle naptimes at daycare. I'm a little worried that they're going to judge my complete inability to get my kid to nap flat without 30 minutes of rocking, shushing, and weighting his limbs with my hands. They won't put any loose blankets in, so we will need to send him with a swaddle sack or some other sleeping thing. I was wondering if the Merlin suit that people mention (we've never tried it) might be a good fit for him, since he wants access to his hands but then keeps himself up if they're free. 

[Deleted]

1. Get the size 2s in a big box and get done with it. It won't matter that much sizewise at this stage and remembering diapers in the little baby/back to work phase is more stress than it's worth. The worry over saving .52cents just isn't worth it in this case.

2. Can you swaddle arms out? A lot of kids like that and it works just as well. Whatever works in the sleep dept. works. I wouldn't worry about it. He'll grow into it in time. 

3. What happens at naptime at daycare stays at daycare. It's pretty much their problem to fix and take care of. Daycare is pretty magical and makes my kids do lots of things they won't do for me (My DCP got the bottle away from DS for 3 weeks now..and he refuses at home for example). I wouldn't worry about. They won't care and they're not passing judgement on you I promise.

[ssmjlm]

I would start with just a full sleeve of size 1. Daycare will run through diapers and you will feel like you are bringing them a sleeve a week.

Daycare is magic with naps. Don't worry about it. E wasn't a good napper at daycare until she moved to the toddler room at 1 and went to 1 nap as a class. They are used to it. FWIW my center would only use sleepsacks for naps and they stopped that after 4 or 5m.

[badtzmaru22]

Just send a box of size 2.

Let daycare worry about naps. It's their job.

Welcome and congrats!!

[linz]

For sleep, mine slept great in the RNP and when we moved to a crib at 5 months they had no issues. So don't worry about daycare. Have you tried using an A&A blanket? Mine both will go to sleep with arms in but eventually bust out of a swaddle. Those blankets are nice because you can wrap them loose so their arms can naturally come out. They were always swaddled arms in but since going to cribs have wanted their arms out so now I just wrap the swaddle blanket chest down. They've been sleeping fine at night.

[gibbinator]

Definitely go with the size 2's and get the 1's used up. It's kind of a miracle they still fit!

And welcome